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CHAPTER 12
Peter was pleasantly surprised when he saw the house, he had been worried that the boy had ended up in a drug den or some other bad place. He just hoped that the boy was actually here and hadn't used it as a fake address only to go somewhere else. Apparently the taxi driver had seen a woman hugging Neal, the woman that Neal had claimed was his grandmother.
The social worker hadn't mentioned anything about any living grandparents, according to Neal's file he was alone.
Who was the woman who hugged Neal and how did she know the kid?
Peter knocked on the door while Diana placed a hand on her gun, prepared for whatever waited for them on the other side of the door.
An older woman opened the door, but based on her clothing she looked to be just a maid.
"Is the lady of the house home?"
Peter asked, politely, and the maid nodded.
"And who are you, if I might ask?"
"Peter Burke, FBI"
The maid nodded and disappeared into the house. Soon another woman showed up, this one dressed in an expensive dress and holding a small dog in her arms.
"What can I do for you agent?"
"I'm here for the boy"
"What boy?"
The woman didn't show any signs of being dishonest but Peter still didn't believe her, it was more likely that she was just a very good liar.
"You do realize that you can get into legal trouble for hiding the boy here?"
Peter hoped that it would scare the woman but she didn't even blink.
"I don't know what boy you are talking about, agent"
Even though she sounded polite it was clear that she was far from happy to have the agents interrupt her day. The woman seemed stone cold and Peter quickly realized that she wasn't going to budge.
"Do you mind if we take a look around then?"
"Do you have a warrant?"
She responded without missing a single beat.
Peter was about to respond when he heard a weak thump from upstairs.
"That was my cat, not some boy that I decided to hide in my house"
Yet again she showed no signs of lying and she actually sounded offended that they believed she was hiding a child in her home.
Peter knew he should walk away and come back with a warrant but his gut feeling was telling him that Neal was here and that if he walked away the child would disappear again. That's why he pushed her aside and walked upstairs, receiving both protests and glares from the woman.
Peter walked quietly and listened for any sounds. A floorboard creaked beneath him and he swore under his breath, the sound would probably cause the boy to hide.
When he passed a door he heard a distant sound, it sounded like shuffling, as if someone was crawling on the floor.
Peter immediately opened the door and was met with a small, furnished apartment with a balcony and big windows.
There was a big bed and Peter instantly realized why he heard shuffling. The agent got down on his knees and his suspicion was confirmed when he saw two blue eyes staring back at him.
Peter almost laughed at how much Neal reminded him of Satchmo the first time he had heard fireworks. The puppy had hid underneath their bed and Peter had spent hours trying to coax him out of there.
"Come out kid"
He called out but the boy stayed put. Peter sighed, he could just reach in there and drag the boy out but he didn't want to hurt or scare the child.
"I'm going to lift the whole bed if I have to but one way or another you're getting out of there"
There were no way Peter could lift the heavy bed but the kid seemed to believe him, and after carefully weighing his options the boy crawled out from his hiding spot.
"Let's go Neal"
Neal looked at him when Peter used his name but then his eyes went back to his shoes.
Peter grabbed the boy's thin shoulder and led him downstairs.
Once downstairs the woman was waiting for him, looking absolutely furious.
"You had no right"
She said looking ready to fight the agent if she needed to.
Neal was the one to defuse the situation when he took one of her hands and gave her a small smile.
"It's okay June"
June bent down so that Neal could give her a hug and then he whispered to her
"When Mozzie comes back, tell him to find me"
June nodded before she whispered back
"You can always come back here. I will keep you safe"
Then June let go of Neal and reluctantly let the boy leave with the agents.
The car ride was silent and Neal could see both agents constantly looking back at him in the rearview mirror. Neal fought back the tears, he didn't want to show himself weak. He had lied to June, it wasn't okay. He said it was okay so that June wouldn't do something and get in trouble , he lied to protect her.
He was terrified of going back and he really wanted to cry but he just had to suck it up and wait until he had a chance to escape again.
One thing was certain he was not going to stay at another foster home, he was tired of people hurting him.
He didn't know where to go, he couldn't go right back to June and Mozzie was gone and the FBI would look for him.
Maybe it was time for him to leave New York and find a home somewhere else.
They arrived at the bureau way too soon and Neal was reluctant to get out of the car, knowing what was waiting for him inside.
His door was opened and Peter waited for him, sighing when the boy stayed put.
"I can wait all day"
Neal took a deep breath before getting out of the car, he didn't want to make the man mad and provoke him into hurting Neal.
Peter grabbed his hand to make sure he didn't run away and Neal followed the agents inside.
It felt as if everyone was staring at him, and it was making him really uncomfortable. He felt the need to run but Peter was still holding on to his hand and the female agent was walking behind him.
He was trapped so he kept his gaze on his shoes, trying to ignore the stares from the other agents. Peter led him to the conference room he'd been in the first time he visited the bureau. He had barely stepped inside the room when he was embraced by Elizabeth. She was warm and she smelled like flowers.
"We were worried about you sweetie"
Neal took a step back and gave the crouching woman a confused look. They were worried? Why would they be worried about him?
Someone cleared their throat and he turned around to see a woman, he didn't recognize her but he knew who she was as soon as he noticed the file clutched in her hands. She looked nicer and happier than the last social worker he met but that didn't mean he liked her or wanted to go with her.
"Hello Neal"
Her voice was bright and gentle and if she had been the one to pick him up the first time then maybe he would've like her, but now he could just see her as an enemy.
"I'm going to make sure that you find a good home, okay?"
The social worker took a step closer to him and Neal responded by taking one back.
Elizabeth, who was still crouching, gently grabbed the boy ,careful not to scare him. The social worker had updated her about Neal's past and she didn't want the boy to believe that she wanted to hurt him in any way.
"I know you're scared baby, but we're gonna make sure it's good this time"
Neal didn't know if it was the fact that Elizabeth looked so much like his mother or if it was the word baby, the word his mother always called him, that caused him to throw his arms around Elizabeth and clinging onto her like a lifeline.
Neal had tried to be strong, he had really tried, but he couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Being in this room with the social worker made the situation real and he realized that he was just hours away from going back to hell.
As the first sob wracked through his body he could feel Elizabeth rubbing his back while whispering soothing words to him.
"I don't wanna go back"
He sobbed, closing his eyes and imagining that it was his mother that comforted him. He wanted her with him so bad.
"I'm sorry but you have to go baby"
Neal started to cry even harder and clung onto Elizabeth even tighter, refusing to let her go, right now she was the closest thing he got to his mother and he didn't want to leave her.
"I don't want to go, mommy"